Single Action Shooting Society

(Period-correct boots and spurs worn by a SASS End of Trail. Image copyright, Lincoln Rogers. May not be copied or used without written permission from Lincoln Rogers)

I guess you could say I like people who like the Old West. As a result, I really like the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS). The good folks who join this organization love everything about the Old West, and try to be as period-correct as possible with their clothing, accessories, and guns. It seems to be working, since the organization is growing by leaps and bounds. According to organization estimates, an average of seven hundred new members a month has enrolled over the last five years.

“If we were a company, you’d want to invest in us,” stated Ken Amorosano about SASS’s sixty-six thousand plus membership figures. Amorosano is the Marketing Director for SASS.

SASS holds a shooting championship and Old West festival every year, called End of Trail. The festival is drawing folks from around the world to compete in a friendly environment with those who love the Old West. The festival is growing as well, and it's not hard to understand why.

“In the 1870’s, even if you came from back East, you could be a cowboy,” said “Tex,” one of SASS's founders. “Once you crossed west of the Mississippi, you could come up with a moniker like “Wild Bill” and you could become anything you wanted to be. We’ve always done that in SASS as well. Ninety-eight percent (of SASS members) don’t know each other’s real names,” he continued through laughter about the requirement of going by an alias in the group. “It has become a great leveler. It doesn’t matter (in this organization) if you have a million dollars or not.”

The rest of the membership embraces the requirement, believing it adds a priority of fun and camaraderie to competitions. Though a competitive nature may help some shooters win a contest or two, it appears to be an unwritten rule to check one’s ego at the door.

“We don’t give out prize money for winning competitions,” added “Tex” regarding SASS’s social emphasis on having fun and making friends. “It’s for bragging rights (only). We reward people for playing the game. Folks can play Cowboys and Indians just like they did when they were kids,” continued the wearer of SASS badge #4. “They can go back to their childhood. That one facet has allowed folks to have a camaraderie (at shooting competitions).”

“I think people are tired of the government telling them what they can and can’t do,” offered “Judge Roy Bean” (another SASS founder) as a possible reason for SASS’s and End of Trail’s surging popularity. “They’re tired of having to protect themselves from lawyer’s and lawsuits. They want to go back to a time of honesty; to a time when a handshake was better than a contract.”

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Have a good one.

Lincoln

www.lincolnrogers.com

Feeling A Draft

(Images copyright, Lincoln Rogers. May not be copied or used without permission from Lincoln Rogers.)

You could say Draft Horses made the world go 'round in the Old West. They were the work horses, pulling plows, carriages, wagons, freight, etc. A safe comparison to modern days would be deisel rigs and big tractors.

You can still see Draft Horses at work now, but you usually have to go to attend a draft horse show or some type of competition. I'm here to tell you it is well worth the time. These horses are called "gentle giants" by quite a few people, and there is good reason why. Their sheer size and bulk are impressive, but their dispositions are so nice.

Look up a draft horse event in your area, and take time to see the power and strength of a horse that helped settle the Old West. Heck, they helped settle the entire land.

Have a good one.

Lincoln

www.lincolnrogers.com

Rodeo Doing Well in 2006

(Calf roper Cory Zion at the Evergreen Rodeo. Photo copyright, Lincoln Rogers. May not be copied or used without written permission from Lincoln Rogers.)

The sport of rodeo seems to be going strong this year. Another cowboy made it big, pushing past the $2,000,000 mark in career earnings. The following Press Release came courtesy of the PRCA:

Ohl becomes eighth cowboy to cross $2 million

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following the Dodge City Roundup in Dodge City, Kan., Cody Ohl was less than $900 away from the $2 million mark in career earnings. The thought of being the eighth cowboy to join the illustrious $2 million club was in the back of his mind as he threw the loop on his first calf on Aug. 8 at the Sikeston (Mo.) Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo.

That loop pushed him over the $2 million mark as he finished the run in 8.3 seconds to share the first-round victory and pocketed $1,872.

“It feels great, and there is no other feeling like it,” said Ohl of the $2 million milestone. “It hasn’t been very long ago that there was a big deal made about Roy (Cooper) being the first one and now I am there. To be just the eighth is a great thing and to be part of a group with such greatness is a true honor.”

Seeing such a milestone inspired me to post one of my rodeo poems.

Made This Way
By Lincoln Rogers, 2006

Stubble, scars, and toughness,
Shape the surface of his face –
A roadmap charting victory and spill.

He leans against the chute,
Like he was born into this place –
Formed to tame the thunder with his will.

The beast below him quivers,
Showing patience in its rage –
A hurricane enclosed behind a gate.

The stadium grows silent,
Arena sand becomes a stage –
The hardest part of rodeo is the wait.

His hand of calloused texture,
Grips the cool of iron rail –
The nod to start the battle will be his.

Time again to ride the lightning,
And he prays that he won’t fail –
It’s all he’s known… it’s just the way he is.

Have a good one.

Lincoln Rogers
www.lincolnrogers.com

Horse Pulls

(Image copyright, Lincoln Rogers. May not be copied or used without written permission from Lincoln Rogers.)

I went to a county fair the other day and covered a Horse Pull event for a regional magazine. It was a great experience. The people were friendly and the horses were outstanding.

The competition consisted of a pair of draft horses hooking up to a “sled” filled with weight (they used 70 lb. bags of sand and started with 2,100 lbs.) and pulled the weight over a dirt track for twenty feet to make a successful run. When every team was finished taking a turn, those who succeeded got a chance to pull again after more weight was added, until one team had out-pulled all the others. The winning team in the Heavyweight Class pulled 12,500 pounds to take the county fair title.

“They're like professional football players,” said Scott Beaman, a successful competitor from LaSalle, Colorado, on the topic of good pulling horses. “They’re not farm animals. They are bred to do this. I think the best ones come out of Amish country.”

While the best draft horses for pulling competitions may come from Amish country, it sounded like the breed most suited for the task is the Belgian.

“They are stouter for the most part,” shared local competitor, Pat Kelly, about what makes Belgians a natural fit for the contests. “They call them ’gentle giants’, and they really are.”

It was great to be up close and personal with the nine teams of horses and their handlers. I like being around horse people. They're good folks.

Thanks for checking in. Stop on by again real soon.

Lincoln

www.lincolnrogers.com

Cowboy Poetry

(Image copyright, Lincoln Rogers. may not be copied or used without written permission from Lincoln Rogers)

I sure do like good cowboy poetry. Every now and then, I try my hand at writing some, and with a fair amount of success, but there is some excellent cowboy poetry out there just waiting to be discovered by those interested in sharing history, tall tales, and downright belly laughs.

Good cowboy poetry does more than just rhyme. Heck, just about anybody can make a rhyme. What makes an excellent cowboy poem is the images it conveys and the meter of the piece. A well-written poem flows like the words and phrases were made to be formed just that way. You know it when you read it.

The best cowboy poetry on the planet can be found at CowboyPoetry.com. It is a fantastic website that boasts "the world's largest collection of cowboy poetry". Take a peek at it, you won't be disappointed.

Now, I'm not the be-all-end-all of cowboy poetry experts - I'll leave that to the good folks over at CowboyPoetry.com - but I do have a few favorites who I enjoy reading. Pat Richardson has got to be one of the most talented poets ever at creating unbelievably funny images and tales within the constraints of a cowboy poem. You'll laugh the Stetson right off your head, I guarantee it.

Though we've never met personally, I consider Rod Nichols a Pard, and he has a God-given talent for taking words and crafting them in just the right way, and with just the right sentiment. Whether it is humor, sentimental, patriotic, religious, etc., Rod Nichols nails it each and every time. You can read his, and other poets, fine work in action on Rod's cowboy poetry board. While you are there, make sure you read some of Bruce Satta's lyrical wordsmithing and Glen Enloe's fine work. You won't be disappointed.

That brings me to another favorite of mine. Mr. Hal "Nevada" Swift. Hal has a gift for taking a small slice of life and creating a poem that will make you smile... every single time. His talent for finding the perfect rhythm and meter for each of his poems is downright mind-boggling. If you like to be entertained by whimsical slices of cowboy and western-related life, Hal is your man. I have the privilege of calling him my Pard as well.

I know I'm leaving out the names of some mighty fine cowboy poets, but I don't have the space to list them all. Why don't you chime in and let us know the names of some of your current favorites? I'd love to hear from ya!

Lincoln

www.lincolnrogers.com

http://lincolnrogers.blogspot.com

http://best-of-the-west.blogspot.com

A Horse, of course...

(Images copyright, Lincoln Rogers. May not be copied or used without written permission from Lincoln Rogers.)

This is a blog of the west, and there is nothing quite so "western" as the horse. Without the horse, the American West would not have been tamed. Without the horse, the image and legend of the cowboy would never have existed.

I tend to agree with the late, great Will Rogers, who penned: "A man who don't love a horse, there's something the matter with him."

For me, riding tall in a western saddle with boots and cowboy hat is just shy of heaven (especially if the missus is riding along with), but l enjoy the sight of a horse no matter the circumstances. Whether it is cowboys riding - equestrian events - horse showjumping competitions - draft horses and carriages - or ponies and children, I'll pull up a chair and be happy to watch.

Have a good one, and enjoy a horse today.

Lincoln
www.lincolnrogers.com

It's County Fair Time...

(Image copyright, Lincoln Rogers. May not be copied or used without written permission from Lincoln Rogers.)

It's that time of year all right. Time for county and state fairs to be held across the nation.

I love it.

If you haven't visited a county fair lately, make sure you take the time. There's just something about the 4-H barns, the sounds of the midway, and the smell of warm pretzels, funnel cakes, or elephant ears. Some fairs can be like walking through a time-warp these days, presenting an opportunity to rediscover a little of what made youth so precious.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a poem I wrote about a child visiting the local county fair.

First Fair
By Lincoln Rogers, 2002

I recollect when I was younger,
I first visited the county fair.
The air smelled sweet, the night was warm,
The noise of rides engulfed the air.

First came the barn of livestock,
Full of cows and goats and sheep.
My feet skipped up and down the aisles,
While my heart wanted to leap.

One hand held cotton candy,
While the other held my dad.
I’d get it all on my good shirt,
But that night it wasn’t bad.

Dad brought me through the midway,
Full of sound and neon light.
From my perch atop his head,
A world of wonder enthralled my sight.

I remember happy weariness,
As he tucked me into bed.
“How ‘bout the fair tomorrow?”
Were the best words he ever said.

Have a good one, Pards. And visit a county fair this year. You won't be sorry.

Lincoln
www.lincolnrogers.com

New article on the web this week...

(Images copyright, Lincoln Rogers, 2006.

May not be used or copied without

written permission from Lincoln Rogers.)

This is kind of a semi-full blog piece today. I wanted to post a link to a new article of mine on the web this week (July 31), published in The Fence Post magazine. It is about a long-running small-town rodeo in the Colorado mountains. The Evergreen Rodeo.

You can find the story and accompanying photos at the following link: Evergreen Rodeo Story on the Fence Post website

Have a good one.

Lincoln
www.lincolnrogers.com